Thursday, June 12, 2008

Tonight, while we were visiting Jessie, she cried a little...more of a hard whimper. Kristi gave her a soft kiss and Jessie said "I want to go home now". Although it was heart wrenching, it is really a good thing.

Think about all the things that have to happen in your brain to do such a simple thing as cry and say "I want to go home now!".

First off, she cried...emotions in check. Second, she realized that she was in some pain, and her head was afixed to the bed and she couldn't move it, and all-in-all it sucked to be where she was. Awareness! Next, she thought about a solution as to how she might fix the problem...i.e., go home. She remembers home. Next her brain told her lungs, vocal chords, lips, tongue, etc...etc.. everything that it needed to do to compose sentences and breath and exhale in a way that forms words and sentences to say, "I want to go home now." Speech....Amazing. Praise God again and again!! This all happened while she is under heavy sedation!

OK, now we look at the left side of her body...the side that isn't supposed to work anymore. Today, Kristi was holding her left hand, and Jessie squeezed it softly, then lifted her arm. She lifted Kristi's arm up while they were holding hands. As far as I'm concerned, that's a miracle.

The nurse told us that Jessie responded in her left foot to pain and moved her leg away. Now think about all the things that have to happen from stimulus to reaction to make THAT happen. Praise God again!!!!

I don't really know if this is all reflexive movement, or what, but it is ALL encouraging. When we asked Dr. Vinning (Neurologist) if it was voluntary or reflexive, she responded that there must be some sort of "pathway" for those movements to happen. WOW!! Is that COOL or what?!

Tomorrow at 5:30 they will allow her head to move to midline "looking up". Hopefully she will be much more comfortable without her head affixed to the bed. It looks awfully uncomfortable, and God willing maybe they will let her wake up a bit.

God Bless You All. Take a day at a time, and know that today was a good day for Jessie. There were others in the Pediatric ICU that were not so lucky. Please say a little prayer for those that aren't doing well.

60 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Thank you for sharing the wonderful story of Jessie! I heard about the surgery Wednesday and read your blog from start to finish in one sitting. My emotions ranged from tears to smiles as I caught a glimpse of your life these past 10 months. There are so many positive praises that have occurred before and after this surgery. The LORD is not finished with Jessie yet -- her strength , determination and love of life will help her as she recovers. I lift up your entire family as recovery continues over time. Keep your faith... :)

I just read your latest update on Jessie and cried with joy for the obvious signs of "miracles" today ! Our God is awesome... amazing...beyond comprehension. We've never met but our family here in Aledo and our extended family in VA, NC and MD are part of your prayer team. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of your journey!

Jessie, I'm so glad you're getting a good sleep. It's time to heal and rest because I know soon you won't slow down one bit and you're going to show us things we've never seen before. I love you Jessie! Tonight, I will also pray for your fellow PICU friends. I am sorry they are having a tough time. Love you Jessie!

Many years go my parents had to make a decision to let heart surgeons do a risky surgery on my sister when she was four years old. Many children didn't survive because they were just too sick. My sister was 51 on her birthday! Go Jessie!!!

hi jessie our family the yambo's are praying for your speedy recovery.....my daughter gabby yambo had this same surgery jan 8 2008 here in fort worth at cook childrens we live in fort worth and some co-workers of mine gave me your article because they know about what we went and are still fighting through, but just a great hope is my daughter has been seizure free since the day of surgery and her left hemiplegia is better everyday she is now walking again and the left arm is moving and we are working on getting the hand back. we went through a 12 hour surgery with gabby and we were at cooks for over a month, it was very rough and still is but we are now able to start picking up the pieces, so it will get easier, it just takes time, gabby had a right hemispherectomy and to stop the 25 seizures a day she was having due to a very 5 very rare brain malformations she was born with but had no idea until she was 2 that she had a seizure disorder, which now we know is a major disability she is mentally retarded and we are working on her speech and ot and pt daily we have fought for her for 2 years know and at least the seizures have stopped, she has the mental capacity of a 2 yr old but i wouldn't change a thing. Jessie is in wonderful hands and with as much publicity as jessie has gotten that our family has seen the last few days she has wonderful parents(no one know how strong unless you have dealt with these complex medical probs----I am with you in prayer and strength and encourage much sleep for you guys) gabby's care page is at carepages.com its under GABBYYAMBO, if you guys need anything let me know my name is krista my husbands name is rick and we are here if you need us.

You are amazing parents and Jessie couldn't be in better hands. With each day Jessie's baby steps will grow into giant steps. The Lord has plans for your family and Jessie's "Miraculoes Recovery". We will continue our prayers for as long as needed. We Love You and God Bless You!!

Just had to "look in" on you all to see what the latest news is. Imagine, (yes, you're right) all that had to happen in Jessie's brain to get the results you've shared with the oustide world today. I'm awed by your courage. Thank God for people like your family who give hope to the rest of us. Well done, Jessie. Keep fighting.

What a great way to start the day with your update! Tears of happiness for all of you - Jessie is on her way! What awesome things to hear, "I want my mommy" and "I want to go home now." Not to mention the squeezing of mom's hand! Prayers are with all of you for a speedy recovery and rehab. Keep the faith, God is so good.

God couldn't give you a better gift this coming Father's day weekend than to re-experience all the miracles he created. Each step she takes in the road to recovery and you are blessing him the entire way. what a dad!!

You guys are amazing! Thank you for the very positive update. You are seeing the light in the darkness you have been living; lighting one candle (at a time) rather than cursing the darkness. :) Thinkgs are getting brighter! Stay positive...for yourselves, Jessie, your family and the medical team.

I love the sentiment from above stating what a Father's Day weekend this is for you. There is no more precious gift than a child, and you are getting her back! Thank you Jesus.

Again, thank you for having the courage and humility to share this story and make such a difference to many. It is an honor to band together in prayer for Jessie and her support team. You are providing me such a great lesson of Christianity in Action...both in your expample and in letting me participate in my small way.

Hello Cris and Kristi, When I woke up this morning all I could think about was getting to my computer to see if Jessie was making any progress. I watched the news, but they kept repeating what I already knew!! I knew you would have the page updated!! Thank you!! You must be so relieved!! The brain is an amazing thing!! Jessie is the sign of a perfect mircle!! I know it must have been so hard to hear her say she wants to go home, but your thought process is perfect...what it took for her to say that..wow...God is listening to everyones prayers, how can he not!! Heaven must be booming with voices right now!! Kristi, you look like you have rested a little!! Not that you looked bad, just real stressed. Please take a few minutes for yourselves, as hard as that might be!! As blessed as you are to have Jessie, she is just as blessed to have you!! There are people out there that wouldnt have been so determined to push like you have!! You are truly WONDERFUL parents!! Good Luck today, Im sure Jessie will keep surprising you with mircles!!

I read Jessie's entire blog yesterday. I first heard about Jessie's story on Channel 13 news. I had to go read it for myself. What a strong fighting little girl you have. You are in the best hands at John Hopkins. My son has a heart condition and Hopkins is where we go. I have been in the PICU with my son and I know how you are feeling. Jessie will be out of there real soon. I can tell just by what has happened in the last 24 hours. She is a fighter and will continue to fight. She has God on her side and a very supportive family. If you guys need anything, please drop me an e-mail. I live 20 minutes away from Hopkins and will be more than willing to help you out in any way I can. Even if you just want a 30 minute break and don't want to leave Jessie, I'd love to sit with her and get to know her. Keep the faith and she's going to get through this just like she has all the other times in the past months. God Bless you all!

Such great news! Jessie's story hits so close to my heart for me as a parent that I can't help but cry with relief when I read about the signs of her better than expected recovery..that's what happened to my daughter. Anyway, keep hanging tough...the worst is over and every day Jessie will get stronger and by the end of the Summer...you won't believe how well she will be. It's been 7 weeks, three days since my daughter's resection and she is sooo much better that I had been lead to expect. I think God wanted me to see Jessie's story when I was visiting FTW so I could assure you that she will be alright! IT's just too big a coincidence.

I want to send a special THANK YOU out to those who have offered a kind jesture in love to one of our own. Whether it was a prayer you said, or asking others to pray, or a kind word along the way. We too appreciate your love and support!

Super Special thanks to those there, near Johns Hopkins, for stepping in for those of us here in Aledo, TX, who can't be there physically in Balitmore with our family, the Hall's. It comforts us to know our God is touching hearts there to extend His unconditional love to the them on our behalf. We wish we could be there to offer them a break from being with Jessie so they could go rest or to be able to bring in a home cooked meal to them, as you have already offered to do. Your love for one of ours is incredible, we feel it all the way back here in Texas. We are so grateful you are joining with us in supporting Jessie and her family. Your offers bless our hearts and bring us peace and comfort. Your prayers are like the credit card commercial..... PRICELESS.

We will continue, back here in Texas, praying for Jessie to have a miraculous restoration, one that undoubtedly will be above and beyond all Jessie's OT/PT staff has ever witnessed before.

I was speaking to a neighbor last evening and she agreed with Dr. Carson, that prayer does make a big difference. She said, it's sad that many patients don't have anyone praying for their healing. So I encourage everyone to pray for those there in PICU who aren't doing so well as the Hall's have asked us to pray for them. And one step further, I urge you to take back to your local churches the idea of beginning a prayer ministry team to pray for those in your local communities who may not have even 1 person praying for them. Just think of how many lives could be touched if believers reading this all took action!

One thing I know for sure, you'll be blessed beyond measure!

Some wonderful resources I urge you to get your hands on are:

1. Intercessory Prayer, a book by Dutch Sheets or visit www.dutchsheets.org

What a Blessing! God is amazing! I am so hooked on this miracle that I have not gotten much work done this week! I am always checking for updates! Your entire family will remain in my prayers! Love you Jessie!!!Kara WeaverTexas

"...today was a good day for Jessie. There were others in the Pediatric ICU that were not so lucky. Please say a little prayer for those that aren't doing well."

We spent just a week in PICU at Cook Children's when my daughter was two months old (she had a heart defect repaired via open-heart surgery), and that time in PICU really gave us some much needed perspective on how truly blessed we were, and still are.

Kristi and Cris... thank you for the updates... Jessie... what a trooper you are... Your bestest baseball bud is missing you and sending you hugs and kisses.... We love you .... keep resting and getting stronger.... love ... susie

What great & wonderful news this is! From what I have read about Jessie, she is a very strong little lady and I think these little "signs" are proof that she is already on the road to a miraculous recovery. The Prayers will continue for all of you and your new friends in the PICU. Thank you for taking the time to keep us all updated. God Bless!

I am constantly amazed at the incredible posts made here. I am so proud to be a part of this amazing "community" of believers that have banded together for the good of one amazing Texas Princess whom most of us have never had the pleasure of meeting. My heart is warmed everytime I read the updates and the comments.

As a mother I cannot imagine how heart-wrenching, but at the same time glorious, it was to experience the miracles yesterday. I have read so many people respond that they have gotten little done at work this week....me too! Jessie is constantly on my mind. I am so glad that yesterday was so wonderful...just think, Jessie will get better everyday! I woke up this morning and rushed to my computer to get an update, knowing that today God will provide us with even more miracles than we have seen in the past few days. Today, will be a glorious day for Jessie. I am so excited to hear what she accomplishes today that is unexpected...She truly is a miracle.

One little side note...my daughter Jill has been asking about Jessie and we have been praying together for her healing and quick recovery. Yesterday, Jill had an "A-Ha" moment when she realized she was complaining about the hot Texas sun. She told me how thankful she was to be able to feel the sun beating down on her skin and how she hopes Jessie will be back in Texas soon so she can feel the same warmth....so from Texas we are sending some good Texas summer "warmth" to you in spirit.

Have a magnificent day. I will be praying for Jessie all day and anxiously awaiting updates to hear of her amazing recovery.

Hello Hall's,HELLO from Aledo!!!! Our whole family is praying and keeping up with everything on an hourly basis.Sophie and Lilly have soo many questions, I try to answer honestly, but they still often don't understand. They miss Jessie a lot. God is great!!He amazes me daily. Thank you so much for the updates. Keep up with your awesome spirit. We can't wait to have a playdate!!!The Hefner's from Aledo

God Bless you all as your family recovers from this experience. My daughter was treated at Hopkins for a injury 5 years ago and I know you couldn't possibly be in a better place. The doctors are top-notch and the nurses are angels in disguise. Know that we're all praying for Jessie's quick recovery!

I am out of town and been following the blog.My kids wanted to know if there were any updates while on the road.We called home (Aledo) to see but hadn't yet.Thanks for the update.God is amazing!Your whole family is a testament of it! We are praying and thinking about you all the time.

What wonderful news! I went to bed last night before you posted this update and I could not wait to get to my computer to check on her progress. Jessie is a fighter and loves life. I believe, as parents you believe and God believes in Jessie and she will continue to grow stronger each day. Your courage is beyond words.

I have been following the progress of Jessie day-by-day and cry with joy each time I read how well she is doing and how well God has blessed the whole family. My daughter suffers from a seizure disorder and will be going through extensive evaluation in three weeks to determine if she is a candidate for surgery, so reading how strong Jessie has been and how strong Mom and Dad are being is giving me strength to face what's ahead of our family. I just can't pray enough for ths family and for this little girl who has blessed so many with her courage. The Lord is good in so many ways and this week is a perfect example how he will walk beside you, if you only ask and receive. Keep the faith!!!!!

The amazing love, wisdom, and mind of the Lord is demonstrated in the miraculous things he has done.Our kids are asking all kinds of questions and we are able to tell of the wonders of God's creatures - created in His image and likeness. "Who endowed the heart with wisdom or gave understanding to the mind?" Job 38:36 (NIV)Continue in your trust that the Lord knows your anxious thoughts and that He has Jessie in His loving arms.We continue to prayer for her amazing progress.

Thank you so much for keeping us informed. I too had gone to bed last night before the update. How pleased I was to hear how Jessie is doing. What wonderful progress already!! Keep it up, Jessie. We love you. We got our bracelets yesterday from Caren. Did we need a reminder to pray for you? NO, but now we have a conversation started about you when others ask what our bracelets are for. God bless you and keep you. You ALL are in our prayers many times during the days. Keep up the good work!!J Jones from AZ

So good to read about Jessie's progress and recovery throughout the day. It is truly a miracle. That "pathway" you referred to is definitely's God's power at work!! Prayers from Dallas, TXDave Alisentono

jessie and family,we think of you every day. we are so proud of you jessie. holden says please work hard at getting well so that you can come home and play.i love the beautiful pictures of your precious child. love to all.marlina and holden davis p.s. next time can you write t.c.u. on the doctor's head!love, holden

Praise God!!! It's so good to hear that she is doing as well as she is and we will continue to pray for further healing. I have a special place in my heart for Jessie. I have two children, my five year old daughter has epilepsy and my two year old son just had his first seizure two days ago. We are seeing Dr. Adam Hartman at Johns Hopkins and we love him!! He is incredible. We are lucky enough to live close by and be able to go to Johns Hopkins on a regular basis. God bless all of you and I KNOW I'll continue to hear great news about her speedy and miraculous recovery!!

Wonderful News! I true testament to what God, Love, and Faith can do! For those of us fortunate enough to know Jessie we would not expect anything less from her! We continue to pray for all of you!We will also say a special prayer for children and their families everywhere going thru life threatening illnesses or injuries!All Our LoveThe Jones FamilyRandy Ann Marie, Tyler & Ryder Aledo,Tx

My wife and I are both praying for her. Her story has touched us both like it has touched so many others. We are very thankful of the progress she has made so far since the surgery. God is hard at work ensuring that this beautiful little girl will overcome this and carry on.

Thank you for the blessed update. God is so good!! He does answer our prayers. My favorite Bible verse is Jeremiah 29:11. As I follow Jessie's story and her strength, He does have plans for her. But, I do want to thank you for opening my eyes to that I need to pray for all the children there also. Thank you for the wake up call. I pray the two of you can try and get some rest. Lots of love and hugs coming your way from our family. Wish I was there to help out, but I will not stop praying.

It amazes me what God can do. Not only the miracle that is occurring in Jessie's life but how in such a fast paced and uncaring world we find out that people aren't as heartless as we may think. Our family in Fort Worth is also praying for you all.

hello jessie- alex and cassie made signs that they put in our yard --YOU GO GIRL ,JESSIE !!!!(1) PRAY FOR JESSIE HALL ,LOVE ALEX (2) GOD BLESS JESSIE HALL (3) all with pink bows -of course. People are stopping as they drive by - to talk -wow -you are all aledo is talking about!everyone is aware of the miracle of JESSIE HALL -we are soo glad that you are doing soo well- we cant wait to see you when you come home to texas--we miss you and wish you all the best - a big BEAR HUG from alexandra !!!xoxo ---the grooms family -scott,val,cassie,alex YOU GO GIRL!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like Jessie is doing really well!! God is a miracle worker and Jessie is definetly one of his miracles. Prayers for a quick recovery so she can get back to being a little girl having some fun in the summer sun!

I saw your story on the news and followed up on their website to hear how Jessie is doing! I will tell you I have two very sick neices who basically live at Johns Hopkins/Kennedy Kreiger and aren't fortunate enough to have any positive outlook with their disorder. It is very very rare (MMA) and the doctors just don't know enough to help them. The reason I share this it to let you know how I pray everyday for those girls and have added Jessie to my prayers. I am very thankful and blessed to have a healthy child and dont know how the parents maintain their sanity. It makes you want to hug your child that much more and I pray for your family! Hang tough Jessie-you are a trooper!

I have been mesmerized by Jessie's story and the family's remarkable courage since I ran across this story 2 days ago. You are all led by the Healer of healers and the great Comforter. From Alabama, there's one more family praying for Jessie's recovery.

Chris & Kristi,I have been following Jessie's story ever since it was in the Community News. I live down the street from you. I was diagnosed with Epilepsy as a teenager so I can sympathize with Jessie about all the seizures. I didn't have as many as Jessie it was gotten under control. Even though I was on vacation when her surgery was happening that morning I woke up and I said a prayer for her. I now pray for her speedy recovery. God bless your family down this long road ahead of you.FromAledo, TX

I am so happy to hear all that progress!!! God is amazing isn't He? He is totally answering my prayers for Jessie! Give her a kiss for me! There has been updates on Jessie almost every night and morning! I can't wait to talk to y'all!

God is good all the time, and all the time God is good...praise God for another good day..I pray for rest for the big people, to deal with the day in day stress, and for God to continue pouring HIs peace over you..will add the whole PICU to the prayer list...Saretta Rowland (Kass's mom)

Ok, lil' spitfire/red raider. By sunday Jessie will be running thru the hall(ways) and the nurses won't know how to keep her down.What a rocker! Thank you for keeping us posted- it's so hard not knowing what is going on. God is awesome- continue the prayers. We are all still praying in Aledo. Ya'll will be home soon. Love & guns up!!! holly

I first heard about Jessie from a customer of mine (I deliver for Domino's in the Aledo area) and she has been in my thoughts ever since. I will say if she can form words and move her left side, that is a very good sign. And with her age, well, the body does compensate for missing parts, so there is a very good chance she will be just fine.

About Me

Jessie is 8 years-old and in 2nd Grade. She has 3 brothers, Matt(12), Jake(10) and Josh(10). She loves people, and never met a stranger. She loves to laugh and sing and play. Jessie was diagnosed with Rasmussen's Encephalitis(RE), which is a rare brain disease that usually attacks healthy children about her age. The only known treatment for this cruel disease is a hemispherectomy (surgical removal of one-half of the brain)
This is an account of Jessie's confrontation with RE and her families attempts to navigate through a new world to bring her the best care possible. Surgery was on June 11, 2008.
This Blog is an attempt to help people undertand this disease and surgery, and to help others with kids going through it to find comfort and resource from someone who has been there before.
Read from bottom, up. It will be updated continuously through Jessie's Miraculous Recovery.
**To add Comments, just click "Comments".Or, email Jessie at Jessie@Hallzoo.com.